137: Ada's POV

I woke up in Phoenix’s room. It was slightly disconcerting since I had passed out in Nik’s sex room, but I adjusted quickly.

Phoenix’s arm was tossed over my side, and he was snoring slightly. For the first time in days, his body being pressed up against me didn’t immediately make me want to fuck him. Yes, I was turned on, but I was still so tired that I knew I could roll over and fall back asleep.

Instead, I focused my mind on the mental channel that Blade and Dagger had been using. Immediately, there was a response, *Yes, Ada?*

It was Dagger. I sighed, *Can I only talk to you two or any fae that I know?*

*You won’t be able to reach Lilith*. Dagger’s voice was calm. *We can’t reach her either. You have to be in the same realm and have a personal connection with the individual.*

Well, that checked one question off my list. I had dozens of others, but some crossed lines I wasn’t sure I was ready to cross. I went with a safe one. *Do fae get pregnant the same way wolves do?*

*No*, he chuckled slightly, *Fae women do not get pregnant every time they are in heat.*

My relief was immediate. I wasn’t ready to face the prophecy about me yet. Considering it stated all of the shit about my mates dying was supposed to happen a fortnight after I gave birth, the longer I could avoid that... the better. Any amount of time we could have to try and figure out how to fix it all would be worth it.

*Have you asked your wolf yet?* Blade’s voice flooded in, low and quiet.

I didn’t bother telling him I hadn’t. Instead, I worked to close the channel they were using, as I did with the bonds with my mates. I couldn’t be positive it worked, but it felt like it had.

Just as I was about to reach out to Sahara, Phoenix’s bedroom door opened. Darius walked into the room. I lifted my head to look at him. He was shirtless with black sweats that were riding low on his hips. The sharp ‘v’ lines of his pubis were visible and made my mouth water.

He smirked at me as he stepped up to Phoenix’s bed, “The two of you need to get up. It’s time for dinner, and Nik says we all have some things to talk about.”

“There’s always something to talk about,” Phoenix grumbled behind me, making me jump. He lifted his arm off of me, “I’m going just like I am now.”

“Same here,” Darius offered me his hand.

I sat up, finding that I had been put into a t-shirt and nothing else. Phoenix groaned as he followed me and got out of bed. As he stood behind me, I realized he was only in a pair of boxers. Looks like we were all going to be underdressed at the dinner table tonight.

The three of us made our way to the dining area in silence. Nik was sitting at the table, practically matching Darius— except he was in gray sweatpants. Food was already covering the table, and piled onto Nik’s plate. I noticed the plate to the right of Nik’s was also piled high.

Nik pointed his fork at it, “Ada, this is for you. Sit and eat. You’ve burned a lot of energy today.”

I took the seat beside him and popped a strawberry in my mouth. My stomach grumbled the second the sweet taste infiltrated my taste buds, and I clutched at it, “I didn’t even realize I was hungry.”

“Being in heat kind of overrides everything in your system,” Darius piled some broccoli onto his own plate, “Power up while we talk.”

Instant heat flooded between my legs, “And then?”

Phoenix laughed as I wagged my eyebrows at them, “Just eat, darling.”

I shoveled food into my mouth as Nik began to talk, “We found the people who blew up the ship. They were two omegas from the pack that neighbors the Midnight Pack,” he took a quick bite of steak, “They said they did it for Velentaria, so it’s a bit of a dead end with them.”

Darius nodded as he continued putting food on his plate, swatting Phoenix’s hand away from a serving spoon he was reaching for, “Cade and I got the dock rebuilt. I’ve also begun to reimburse the locals who will be losing income from this.”

Both Nik and Phoenix glanced at me before Phoenix cleared his throat, “I’ve started to coordinate Elizabeth’s daily walks in the gardens.” Darius froze, looking up at me as Phoenix continued, “Ada, Nik mentioned something about you wanting Elizabeth to be in attendance at your coronation.”

I swallowed the bite of steak I had been chewing and nodded, “Yes.”

“She’s exiled,” Darius stated flatly.

“I’d like to reverse that.”

“Why?”

“I believe it’s a smarter political move given our current circumstances. And her circumstance.”

“Meaning what?” Darius snapped, dropping the serving spoon down onto the table.

I smacked my palm against the table, sending frost splaying in all directions, “Meaning she is pregnant, and it could be your pup. Even if it isn’t, it will still be family,” my voice raised in pitch, “That pup is either your child or your brother. Do you expect me to raise it as my own either way?”

Silence was my answer. Nik continued eating. Phoenix was looking down at his lap. Darius’s eyes were bright as he sniffled, “Do you two agree with her?” Silence was his answer. “Fine. Consider the matter resolved. She can attend your coronation and work towards regaining her court status. Now,” Darius picked the serving spoon back up, jaw set, “We need to talk about Cade.”

“What about Cade?” Nik asked quickly.

I turned my attention back to my plate, feeling the rage beneath the surface of Darius’s body from across the table. He cleared his throat, answering Nik calmly, “He wants to leave. He wants to take Mariah on a ship, leave, and never come back.”

“You want to let him,” Nik concluded, setting down his fork.

Darius nodded, “I think it would be better for us to have someone we fully trust in that position anyway.”

“Do we even have anyone we trust that much?” Phoenix scratched the back of his head, screwing up his face.

None of them answered. I cleared my throat, “Let him leave anyway. As a sign of loyalty to the people who follow him.”

“And function without a beta?” Nik countered.

I nodded, “Between the four of us, we should be able to run things smoothly for a while.”

“It could work.”

I bit my bottom lip and looked around the table. All four of us were severely underdressed for dinner and had full plates of food we weren’t touching. I started to open my mouth to speak, and Phoenix picked up his fork and cut me off:

“You’re going to eat all of your food before we fuck you again, Ada.”

With the heat growing between my legs, I didn’t need any more motivation to shut up and eat.